孤高 (gū gāo) — (of a person) aloof and proud; disdainful of worldly affairs; (of things) towering and solitary; surpassing the ordinary

Definition

孤高 describes a person who is aloof and proud, distancing themselves from others and worldly concerns. Often used in formal or literary writing rather than casual speech.

adjective
(of a person) aloof and prouddisdainful of worldly affairs(of things) towering and solitarysurpassing the ordinary

Examples

  • 孤高，。
    Tā xìng gé gū gāo, hěn shǎo gēn tóng shì jiāo wǎng.
    He is aloof by nature and rarely socializes with colleagues.
  • 孤高，。
    Nà zuò shān fēng gū gāo sǒng lì, zhōng nián jī xuě.
    That mountain peak towers alone, capped with snow all year round.
  • 孤高，。
    Tā de huà fēng gū gāo bù fán, wú rén néng mó fǎng.
    His painting style is extraordinary and beyond imitation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

孤gūsolitary/alone
高gāolofty/high

'孤' solitary and '高' lofty together describe aloof pride.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
子子zǐchild
Sound part声符shēngfú
瓜
瓜guā孤gū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

孤 uses 子 (child) to show a child, and 瓜 to give the sound.

Open 孤 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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